>> good morning. breaking news. a tragic end for country music star mindy mccready. the singer took her own life just weeks after her boyfriend's death. mccready rose to fame in the '90s, but her career was derailed by personal demons. we'll talk exclusively this morning to the father of her firstborn son. winter's wrath. new storm is set to hit the midwest as new england digs out from the latest blizzard. much of the country locked in the deep freeze. al will be here with the latest. outrage in the air. a man accused of slapping a toddler for crying on an airplane. the boy's mother claims the man even used a racial slur.

and he is out of a job "today," monday, february 18th, 2013. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a monday morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> and i'm carl quintanilla in for matt this morning. mindy mccready had been trying to get her career and her life back on track, but the mother of two was tormented with her problems by substance abuse and the recent death of her boyfriend. we'll look at the latest in a moment. i'll take a turn and ask the question, what happens to all that lost luggage at the airport? take a look at this jewelry, high-end fashions. this is the lost and found for luggage that never gets claimed and you won't believe what it is selling for now. then a lot of dads have wondered, but this dad actually

tried to find out what it's like to be pregnant. he wore a pregnancy suit in an experiment that lasted nine weeks. my back hurts already. he'll tell us all about it later on. >> he looks really good. you look good in that suit, really. we'll begin, of course, with that breaking news, the tragic loss in the world of country music. troubled star mindy mccready has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. andrea canning, you spoke with the star just a few week ago. >> so sad and so bizarre we were just there. i texted her a couple of nights ago asking her how she was and how sorry i was and i never heard back. now it appears she was battling those demons, those personal demons sthee had for so long. sunday night neighbors her two gun shots. she is said to have shot her dog and herself in a place that had great meaning for the singer. >> i just keep telling myself

the more suffering i go through, the greater character i'll have. >> reporter: in her final interview last month before reportedly taking her own life, country singer mindy mccready sounded hopeful, but things apparently became too much to bear. >> i don't know why he did what he did. he's gone. i cannot get him back. >> reporter: dan hanks, los angeles-based private investigator and long-time friend advised mccready on personal matters over the years. for business purposes and with her consent, hanks often says he recorded their phone conversations. the last one on saturday afternoon. >> i would have never guessed that she would have gone ahead and done what she did. >> reporter: she got emotional, talking about her new song "i'll see you yesterday." >> it's such a beautiful song. it must be heard. >> reporter: ironically written to try to help those contemplating suicide. >> now it's so clear that that

was what she was doing, preparing her last statement in this video. >> reporter: authorities found her body on this porch shall the same place where her boyfriend, david wilson, died last month. police have not ruled yet whether his death was murder or suicide. >> the police have not called you a suspect, but do you feel like just the way that it came out in the story that it was damaging in itself? >> i was hurting so bad and then they just did whatever they could to make it hurt even more. ♪ guys do it all the time >> reporter: the country star was once at the top of the charts. was better known recently for her public struggles with addiction. she had recently won a bitter custody battle to get her son back, but in the days following david wilson's death, her two boys were placed in foster care. friends say she had a brief stay in a mental health facility but was released.

>> my life hasn't ever really made sense to me, because i -- i do know what kind of person i am. and i do know that i -- i try to be as good a person as i could possibly be every day. >> police say it does appear to be suicide, but they are conducti an autopsy at the arkansas crime lab, the same lab where her boyfriend's death is being investigated as well. her two young boys are still with the foster family and she told me they were the reason she got up every day. that's where your heartbreaks here is for those two little boys, one of them just 9 months old. >> terrible story. thank you, andrea. billy mcknight is mccready's ex-boyfriend and father of their 6-year-old son. he joins us exclusively. good morning. so sorry for your loss. >> good morning. thank you. >> you've known mindy for 15 years. you've watched her struggle. what was your first reaction

when you heard she did this? >> as sad as it is, it didn't come as a major shock, because she's just been battling demons for so long. and, of course, i was around her when she attempted suicide twice. so, you know, i knew it was in her. i feel for her mother and her family and especially my son, you know. but i can't say that it shocked me, no. >> a lot of people are thinking of your son and zain as well. mindy was institutionalized by the court because of her grief after david wilson took his life and your son, xan dechlt r, was put into foster care as a result of that. what's your reaction to that? >> this whole thing -- he shouldn't have been taken from me to begin with. he was taken out of florida. he has a happy home here. i can provide for him. it's just been a really big mess and enough is enough. he's up there, all alone.

he has no family in arkansas. he has plenty of family who love him here, cousins, aunts, uncles. he needs to come home. and, you know, zain -- i don't know what's going to happen with zain. if he does go to ft. myers where her family is from, it's only an hour and a half difference. i would like to keep those boys being brothers together and try to turn my son's life around. he has had a rough first 6 years. he deserves better than this. and my heart is broken for him right now. i'm very worried. >> billy, mindy was in the hospital for two days, then moved to an outpatient program. do you think she might still be alive if she had been kept in the hospital for treatment? >> i would like to think that. i don't know how she got out. i don't have those exact details. mindy does have a way of talking her way out of situations that maybe she shouldn't have been so good at, perhaps staying in

there and grieving around people that could help her over the death of her fiance, could have calmed her down. but the demons that she hasn't beaten were there. and until she was going to face them, something was going to happen. and everyone who knows her personally knew that. you talk about it. so, you know, i don't know how much -- she would have had to probably stay in somewhere for quite a long time until she really healed and started looking into herself or getting better. >> billy mcknight, we appreciate your time. our thoughts are with you, your family and your son. thank you. >> thank you. folks in the northeast are digging out this morning after the latest winter storm. al is upstairs with the latest on that. good morning, al. >> good morning, carl. this one really is almost adding salt to the wound after all the snow we got from last week. you can see this system pushing

itself up, making its way up along the coast. some places getting blizzard-like conditions. look at the snowfall totals. boston, picking up to five inches of snow, howotiz, six inches. they're looking at more snow. they've picked this up. rhode island also saw a decent amount of snow throughout that region. again, folks digging out, trying to keep things clear. and down in florida -- oh, my gosh, this cold air goes all the way down there, where there are frost and freeze warnings up. here are some of the temperatures we've got this morning. pensacola, 39. tallahassee, 26. 38 in tampa. miami at this hour, 39 degrees. during the day today, temperatures will rebound. not by much. 71 in miami. 67 in vero beach. tallahassee, 62. jacksonville, 64. we've got a couple of big storms

coming during the next week or so. we'll have a very active week weatherwi weatherwise. savannah? >> al, thank you. we'll check back in with you in a few moments. in the case of olympic sprinter oscar pistorius, accused of shooting his girlfriend to death on valentine's day, michelle kosinski is in pretoria, south africa, with the latest. >> reporter: his career had him set to race in four continents and his agent just canceled everything. quoting police sources about what allegedly happened inside his home that morning. >> you fall in love with being in love with love, just one love everywhere. >> reporter: full of life is how friends remember reeva steenkamp in her new television show. >> i take with me so many things, things in here and things in here that i'll

treasure forever. >> reporter: for many, too painful to watch as new details keep coming as she was allegedly killed on valentine's day at the hands fs her love. reeva's skull was damaged, cricket bat is being xmed. she was allegedly first shot in the bedroom then through a bathroom door. friends say he frantically call them before 4:00 am that morning. i said to him, what are you talking about? he then repeated himself, there has been a terrible accident. i shot reeva. the other friend says she reportedly arrived to carry a barely breathing reeva down the stairs and they both tried to save her life. the young woman who seemed to savor every moment, every good-bye. >> i think the way you go out,

not just your journey in life, but the way you go out and make your exit, is so important. you've either made an impact in a positive way or a negative way. always be true to yourself. and i'm going to miss you all so much. i love you very, very much. >> reporter: so, pistorius' bond hearing is tomorrow. some legal experts feel there's a chance he will be released, which some women's groups here have vocally opposed. savannah? >> michelle kosinski, thank you. karen maun is a reporter for the news station in south africa. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. >> this comes down to whether this is a premeditated murder, as police allege, or whether it was an accident, as oscar pistorius' family claims. how difficult a case will this be for oscar pistorius to make, that this was an unintentional shooting?

>> reporter: if he can't prove this is an unintentional shooting, he faces charges of premeditated murder, the most serious kind that you can have in the south african system. premeditated murder means not only that it will be incredibly hard for him to get bail from the court but also that he faces a possible life sentence in jail if he is, in fact, convicted of reeva steenkamp's murder. >> i know we've not seen all the evidence, not even close. you've been talking to your own sources within the police department there. what does the forensics tell us so far? >> reporter: well, we know that when oscar pistorius was carrying his girlfriend down the stairs after he allegedly shot her three times in a very confined space, a little bathroom stall upstairs, that her heart was still beating. now he says he was desperately trying to save her. that's what he has told family and friends. forensics would show that she was in an incredibly confined

space, she could not have possibly gotten away. what will be crucial to him is convincing a court that he had no idea that it was, in fact, her inside that bathroom stall, that he reasonably believed it was an intruder. problematic for him, however, is consistent with this evidence from the residents who live in that complex, that they heard the shouts of screaming and arguments in the moments before the shooting and then three or four shots fired in very close succession. what will be problematic for him is convincing a court he didn't know it was her and that there hadn't been some previous altercation in the moments before the shooting. >> a lot of reports flying around in the tabloids. what do you know about this report that there was a bloody cricket bat at the scene? >> we know he kept a cricket bat next to his bed because of apparent sbangt paranoia that he would be under attack. the gun he kept was fully loaded at all times and the picture is emerging of someone who lived in

complete fear and apprehension for most of his life, particularly these last few years. however in this stage there's no evidence that that bat was actually used to bludgeon reeva steenkamp. we know it was seized and under testing but no evidence that she actually suffered a head wound as a result of that bat. the head wounds we suffered at this stage, from what we understand, was from the bullet he shot her with in the head. >> reporter: very, very quickly, tomorrow is the bail hearing. do you think he will get bail? are we likely to see more of the evidence at this stage in the case? >> reporter: it would be incredibly unusual for him not to get bail. we know the state will put up an incredible fight, arguing that this was planned and premeditated murder. in the south african justice system unless absolutely exceptional circumstances exist, it is highly unusual for someone in his position, have iing the status that he has, not being a flight risk and being prepared

to hand in his passport not to be given bail, particularly the argument that his lawyers will make. it will take some time because the investigation involved in this case for the matter going to trial and keeping him in jail for that length of time would not be in the interest of justice. >> karyn maughan, thank you. natalie morales is over at the news desk with a look at our other stories this morning. good morning. good morning. pope benedict's successor, anne thompson is there with more. good morning, anne. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. the conclave to elect pope benedict's successor is scheduled to begin between march 15th and march 20g9, but there is talk it could be moved up because the karmds who will elect the new pope are coming here to rome to say good-bye to pope benedict february 28th. we should hear some word perhaps this week. asked who will succeed pope benedict the pope himself

yesterday set off a flurry of speculation at his weekly blessing when he addressed the crowd in spanish, he asked them to pay praise for himself and the future pope. some wondered was he sending a secret signal that he would prefer to see a pope from latin america? i spoke to a vatican spokesman who said there was no secret signal, just the pope offering a prayer. >> anne thompson, thank you. >> nbc's white house correspondent kristen welker is in port st. lucie, traveling with the president. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. president obama heads home later today after a weekend of golf, including a game with tiger woods on sunday. the debate over immigration reform back in washington is escalating. new white house chief of staff dennis mcdonough on "meet the press" after a leaked copy of the president's immigration

proposal, creating a new visa, allowing illegal immigrants to become legal residents within eight years. mcdonough says the president has not proposed a bill yet and is hoping congress will act first. >> we'll be prepared in the event that the bipartisan talks going on on the hill which, by the way, we're aggressively supporting. if those do not work out, we'll have an option that we'll be ready to put out there. >> reporter: republicans slammed the report, including a key player in the bipartisan talks, marco rubio saying if actually proposed the president's bill would be dead on arrival. senator john mccain accused the white house of playing politics. >> leaks don't happen in washington by accident. >> reporter: democrats engaged in damage control. >> we've talked to senator rubio. he is fully on board with our process. i am very hopeful that in march we will have a bipartisan bill. >> reporter: an administration

official says that leak was not planned. now that bipartisan group of senators continues to work on immigration reform but passage is not certain with lawmakers still sharply divided on key issues. natalie? >> kristen welker, port st. lucie, thank you so much. lost his job after being charged with slapping a toddler on a minneapolis to atlanta flight. accused of hitting t 2-year-old and calling him a racial slur. the boy's mother says he appeared to be intoxicated on the flight and lashed out at their baby when he started to cry. his attorney says he will plead not guilty to the federal assault charge. another history-making win for danica patrick. stock car driver became the first woman to nab a top spot for any race in nascar's premiere circuit, winning the daytona 500 pole with a lap topping 196 miles per hour at the international speedway in florida. she says she was raised to be the fastest driver, not the

fastest girl. she proved that. talk about nerves of steel. diver ocean ramsey ditched her shark cage to tag along with the real deal. a massive great white shark, hitching a ride on its dorsal fin, the pair float along peacefully. she shot the video for go pro. she's been swimming with sharks since she was 12 years old. >> i knew it was going to be good because of the peaceful music that we're hearing, not the -- big difference in the music, right? that's always the key sign. mr. roker, gosh, i can't believe boston's got it again. >> they do, and now cold air and wind to deal withe northeast. let's check it out. it feels like it's 2 below in boston. 2 above in new york city. 4 in watertown. afternoon temperatures bounce back not very much.

upper teens to 20s. single digits, below zero readings in the plains. 70s and 80s in texas. 40s in the pacific northwest. a big storm to talk about. we'll tell you about it in a little bit. first, your local forecast after these messages. good morning. frigid february morning. we're in the teens, just near 20. under a crystal clear sky at dawn on this president's day morning.

we are going to stay below freezing until 10:00. by noontime, mid and upper 30s. low to mid 40s by mid afternoon with sun and a slighter wind. tomorrow, a brief wintry mix north and a west of the metro area in the morning. >> savannah? >> okay, al, thanks. coming up, look who is getting ready to join us as our special co-host. >> michael jordan? what? wow! >> back up. back up. steven harvey is joining us as co-host. michael jordan is turning 50. we'll have the stories in the correct order.

coming up, michael jordan turning 50 years old. we'll take a look at his success off the hard court. >> we'll have a look at that, plus more after your local news on a monday morning. i was living with pain -- all over.

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now you can help too. when you buy a bag of pedigree, you'll help more shelter dogs go home. join us. feed your dog pedigree. and you'll help us feed more shelter dogs. this is a news 4 news break. >> 7:26 is your time on this monday, february 18, 2013. good morning. bundle up as you head out the door. it's cold out there. tom kierein has more on the conditions. good morning. >> good morning. sun is up and a clear sky. we have long shadows on a frigid february morning. we are down into the teens. just near 20 degrees now. later today with a light wind. we will warm into the low and mid 40s. lots of sunshine. clouding up after midnight. may have a wintry mix north and west of the metro area. elsewhere with, rain and mixing tomorrow.

changing to rain by mid-morning. then ending by tuesday afternoon. >> tom, thank you. a 90-year-old tradition continues in alexandria. they will celebrate presidents' day with the annual george washington parade which dates back to 1923. runs from 1:00 to 3:00 and features bands, floats and reenactments. there are free open houses at some sites. there will be shuttles between the eisenhower metro station and the parade route between 11:00 and 4:00. metro riders could have problems on the orange and blue lines. closed for track work. the minnesota avenue and dean wood stations on the orange line are shut down. bening road, largo town center, closed. red line trains are single tracking between redwood and

good morning. very clear. no accidents orren incidents from hay market uh outside the from hmy mom doesn't drink the starbucks coffee because she thinks it's too dark, and so i brought her some blonde roast. she loves it now. "my son made me this coffee," "you should try it, it's delicious." ♪

and some people found that a little bit strong. but as soon as they tasted blonde roast, boy they were on board. ♪ well, how thin is too thin? the clothes may be beautiful, but some people worry about what the message is when all the models are so skinny. well, now one country is going so far as to ban overly thin models. we'll get the latest on that story. first, 7:30 on a monday morning. it is the 18th day of february, 2013. and i'm sav annah guthrie. we both travel a lot, right? we're both on the road. have you ever lost your luggage? >> i never have. knock on wood. >> at some point in time it's going to happen. >> i know. i've jinxed it. >> if your bag never makes it

back to you, it may end up here in the mother of all lost and founds. you will not believe some of the things they've picked up over the years. >> hope janet picks up that belt. inclusion is a lesson taught every day to children of all different abilities at a school here in new york. steve harvey is here. actor, comedian, talk show host, game show host. for a couple of hours this morning, he will be one well caffeinated co-host. >> little tip from sg to you, that is not the coffee you want. there's a better stash of coffee. all right. he has a lot to -- yeah, don't even -- throw it right out. exactly. you're welcome. but first, last night in houston, nba's best face off at the all-star game. off the court, a basketball legend was doing a little celebration of his own. craig nelson is here with that story. >> a sign we are all getting old. michael jordan celebrating the

big 5-0. there's a heat about the greatest, six championships and six time mvp, all-star. that's just his accomplishments on the court. what's the man who is half a century old going to do now? >> jordan. >> jordan going all the way! >> jordan going the length of the floor. >> reporter: official nba bio, michael jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. >> you sit there with your mouth wide open, just watching what he was able to do athletically. >> reporter: trophies, records and feets of flight, he transcended the game and became a global icon. >> better eat your wheaties. >> can't beat the real thing. >> on almost every national commercial. may have been the most marketable sports figure in history. >> i am here to announce my

retirement from the game of basketball. >> reporter: a decade after walking away from the game, forbes magazine says jordan still rakes in about $60 million a year from shoe sales alone. with six restaurants and his own nba team, charlotte bobcats, he reportedly made about $80 million last year. his net worth about $650 million. lately, jordan has been rumored to be dropping weight and beating rookies half his age, fueling speculation that he may return to the hardwood. >> there's no truth to michael jordan playing basketball again. what michael jordan has always very much enjoyed is seeing the public guessing about what can michael jordan do this time. >> reporter: if he doesn't want to play again, what does the 50-year-old want for his next step? work on his handicap, lavish wedding for his fiance or maybe, finally, wins for his abysmal

basketball team? that would be a happy birthday. >> as you just saw there, savannah, michael apparently has been having trouble selling shoes lately. for his birthday, he wanted you -- >> nice. is this my size? they're enormous. >> the white ones are yours. those are for carl. >> these? >> he knows you're a baller. he wanted you to spin it around 30 rock to drum up some business for him. >> wow, 50 years old. >> 50. you lived in chicago. >> that was the only place to be after -- want to play a game of horse? >> like we normally do. craig melvin, thank you so much. >> thank you. let's get a check of the weather from al. >> all right. thanks so much, guys. we've got a sign that says it all. you've never been colder. where are you from? >> long island. huntington, long island. >> oh, you've been colder. and watertown. you know cold. let's see what we've got for you for today. winter storm warnings, blizzard

warnings and wernt weather advisories from the dakotas into michigan. this is part of the system pushing its way across, little clipper system will b a clipper system that will bring snow with it. nothing horrible. we're talking six to nine inches in northern minnesota. generally about one to three inches. the rest of the country, we expect sunshine up and down the east coast. it will be cold and windy. windy and wet weather from the lower gulf into the mid and upper mississippi river valley. another big system coming from the pacific northwest may cause real big problems as we get toward the latter part of the week. >> stone cold start on this presidents' day morning. i'm tom kierein. down into the teens, much of the region now to near 20 in washington. by the waters, later today we'll get above freezing by 10 this morning. by early to mid afternoon, should hit the low 40s. lots of oh sunshine. a bit of a blustery wind. overnight tonight we cloud up.

might get a light wintry mix tomorrow morning changing to >> that's your latest weather. don't forget, get your weather any time you need it. go to weather channel on cable or weather.com online. carl? >> al, thanks. fashion week just wrapped up here in new york. a chance to see the latest styles and to renew the debate over those waif-like models used to promote them. one country is saying enough is enough. nbc's jim maceda has that story. jim, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, carl. well, kate moss, giselle and clearly many of the models here at london fashion week as well, beware. it's now official. you'll be out of work, at least in israel, if you're too thin. every photo shoot is a personal victory for israeli model margo stelman. her sister, also a model, died from anorexia, the eating disorder. but stelman, 21, is working at the highest level and not

starving herself. >> i thought it a very sad, sad thing to it. and now we're bringing the healthy models back. >> reporter: in fact, super thin models are now illegal here. israeli law bans them from working if their body mass index or bmi, combination of height and weight, is less than 18.5. that is, less than 118 pounds if you're 5'7". it also prohibits advertisers from publishing digitally manipulated images without a clear, written warning that the pictures you are seeing are photo shopped. >> they look at the tv and want to be skinny without any reason just because they saw beautiful and skinny girls. that, we can change. >> reporter: an iconic fashion photographer until one of his models died in his arms from anorexia. shocked, he put down his cameras and reached out to hundreds of sick, young models, offering

help. he eventually pressed politicians to pass the world's only law that protects the vulnerable from the fashion world's dark side. >> for now they're not going to be too skinny. this is the difference between life and death. >> reporter: model whose lived on crash diets are flocking to his studio and eating burgers during breaks. but not everyone is happy. an international model whose image appears on some of the world's top magazine covers, but her bmi is too low to work in israel. she thinks it's a stupid law. i'm a healthy person, she said, but this law deprives me of the right for me to practice my profession. indeed, it never would pass in another country that suffers from eating disorders. america. >> that would not fly here. it would be an impermissible abridge to free speech. >> reporter: spreading, embraced by young models, putting the pounds back on and loving it.

some israelis leading that charge say they're coming to new york in april to persuade top fashion companies to ban super thin models there as well. the fight, they say, has just begun. we'll see. carl, back to you. >> jim maceda, thanks, jim. steve harvey getting ready for his close-up, co-anchoring the next two hours on "today," right after this. this day calls you. to fight chronic osteoarthritis pain. to fight chronic low back pain. to take action. to take the next step. today, you will know you did something for your pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a pain reliever fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. anti-depressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not for children under 18. people taking maois, linezolid or thioridazine or with

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hand crafted just for you. it's like a sexy sandwich. [ anouncer ] compare new griddle melts yourself. just $4.99. it's an epic breakfast sandwich. back now at 7:43 with the story a lot of travelers can relate to. many of us wait anxiously for our luggage to come off that conveyer belt and sometimes it takes a while. but what if the bag never makes it to you? janet shamlian shows us where it may end up. >> reporter: it's the size of a football field and stocked with trendy brands and expensive jewelry you would find in a high-end department store. but almost every trinket here was someone else's treasure. from the dozens of almost new ipads to the pricey headphones. it's all from someone's lost luggage. >> when people travel, they're going to pack their best things when they go on their trip. some really good things in our

store. >> reporter: most wayward bags are eventually reunited with their owner, some 70,000 are permanently lost each year. then there are the phones, ipods and cameras left on planes with no identification. >> why don't people put their names on these? >> reporter: unclaimed baggage center in alabama buys it all by the pound. then sorts it and sells it at a discount. many as 7,000 items are put out every day. some of them, brand new. jeremy mcartie bought this for her husband, for herself, pricey jeans at 80% off. >> there's all kinds. it's just loaded. >> reporter: beyond the clothes and electronics -- >> okay, so what? >> exactly. >> reporter: a trip here is a voinl into the unusual. >> how did it even come in? was it in a suitcase?

>> it wouldn't seem hard to find the owner of this, a championship belt. would i have a problem getting through security? owners have settled with the airline. but how could you ever really replace an engagement ring or a wedding gown? dozens end up here every well. >> i didn't realize it was a vera wang. it wouldn't surprise me, though, because it's beautiful. >> reporter: do you need one? >> no, i don't. if i could fit into a size zero, i might buy it just to say, look, i can get into a size zero vera wang. >> reporter: janet shamlian, sko scottsboro, alabama. we will finally get to say hello to our co-host of the day, steve harvey. getting a little comfortable. we'll talk to him right after this. their capital one venture card to fly home for the big family reunion. you must be garth's father? hello.

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actor, comedian and talk show host steve harvey made an appearance here last week. this morning he is literally taking over the show. >> that's right. steve is co-anchoring our 8:00 13w9 being hours. how are you? >> i'm excited. this is really big for me. >> you showed up 11 minutes early at 7:49. i love it. >> no, i've been here a lot earlier. this is the most teases i've done ever in my life. he's coming. he's coming. >> now you're here. >> we're all very excited.

what have you been doing to prepare? >> i had to brush up on my reading a little bit. >> i thought you were going to say brush my teeth. >> well, i've done that, too. now, you know, i've been looking at the teleprompter a little bit because i want to make a good impression. i'm sitting in for a legend, matt. i wanted to kind of be -- >> you're dressed snappy like matt. >> this is my anchor man suit. i put this on for that right here, some little bit more -- you all -- >> very dapper. >> i'm a little intimidated by the size of that pocket square. >> excuse me? >> wow! >> see, you're in news so you have to keep them down. mine is like a flower. yeah. >> does a pocket square say a lot about a man's personality? >> i think it does. i think men should be more into pocket squares. i think it's another element. ladies, you have so many different things you can wear, so many different ways. we just have a shirt and tie. >> flower it out just in honor of -- how does that look?

>> yours has a little bit of an outline to somehow help bring it up a little bit more. >> yeah. >> we understand hoda and kathie lee make an appearance on your show today. >> yeah, they do. >> i think we have a clip of that. let's take a look. >> kathie lee and i are going to be asking these guys some questions. hoda will get to give her input. but ultimately, hoda's date will be chosen by kathie lee. yeah. >> why are you applauding? >> all right? are you ready to meet the guy? >> ready. >> fellows, come on out. >> that's a tease. >> you're setting up hoda. you're fixing her up. >> yeah. and she picked the right one. >> was it a love connection? >> i don't know. we're going to find out. we followed them with a little camera. >> very romantic. >> not awkward at all. >> i like the one guy for hoda.

i think hoda is a great lady. i loved having them on the show. you have to see it. i had them on the show and i didn't talk. it was my talk show. >> did they drink? >> did they drink? no. you've got to watch because they really -- >> what did you lerp about them that you did not know before the show? >> well, i learned that this thing in my ear is new and it's bugging me to all -- i don't know who this person is in here talking to me. >> enjoy the next two hours, because that's the same -- >> wait till you hear from our director, joe michaels. throw it out a window. >> that's what we're seeing. as he hosts the 8:00 and 9:00 hours. , we replaced people with a machine. what? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it? hello? hello?!

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>> announcer: this is a news 4 news break. >> 7:56 is your time now. good morning. i'm eun yang. we have breaking news now in fairfax county. firefighters on two scenes. falls church in shadow walk. chopper 4 flew over the scene. everyone made it out of the home safely. then this scene on waterside view drive in herndon. firefighters found an unconscious person inside one of the units. the fire is contained. the cause is under investigation. we'll take a break now and have your weather and tra

good morning. it is a frigid morning. we've got sunshine but still in the teens to 20s. later, low to mid 40st. tomorrow we might get a brief wintry mix. elsewhere, light rain off and on ending with highs near 50. chillier wednesday and thursday. how's traffic? >> i'm tracking an accident on the beltway. inner loop at telegraph roadblocking the left lane. beltway volume light this morning. traveling on i-270. no issues. clear from montrose to the beltway.